Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Circumcision Is Not Altogether A Bad Thing

..the explosive politics of facing the knifeAs a matter of fact, while the Luo have never communally embraced this type of surgery, they have never been wholly against it either. In Luo land, circumcision has been a ‘none issue’….. more like whether one wears a pair of black or white pants i.e. personal decision. Unlike the case in other communities, this practice has never been associated with bravery, social status or rite of passage. The cut will not erode or enhance the Luo culture. It is of no cultural consequence.

In allowing the individual man to determine the personality of his ‘member’, the Luo community has been at the forefront of liberty.

So that is how life at the lakeside has been until a group of HIV researchers showed up with good advice. The rest is history. Luo men are forming long meandering queues in wait of the cut. Were it not for the scourge that is killing Kenyans like flies, Kisumu, in the dead of night, when all the bars and clubs are closed and patrons have gone home, would still be the noisiest city in the country.

So why talk about this painless practice in a political blog? Well, because it is political.

It will not escape the minds of Kenyans that the Luo people have been constantly and publicly degraded, demonized and ridiculed simply because of their reluctance to indulge in genital mutilation. In Kenya, the Luos have been shelved and associated with derogatory terms ever since the birth of the nation. Until Raila won the 2007 election, a section of Kenyans had been thoroughly convinced and indoctrinated to believe that an uncircumcised Gentile must never rule. It follows that many Luo men were rounded up by Mungiki surgeons and forcibly circumcised by use of blant pangas in Kibera.

Folks, such has been the hate of the ‘man with the foreskin’. He has been called dirty, coward, kihii, unmanly, childish and in some extreme instances, evil. The ‘man with the foreskin’ has been denied his rightful place at board meetings, staff meetings and other social gatherings where he must not ‘sit in the presence of men’. The fully grown 'man with the foreskin' has been set aside to converse with his 'age mates' at the children’s table.

So here we are today and Luos are getting circumcised from left and right. With this simple voluntary act of health, THE GRANDEUR OF CULTURAL CIRCUMCISION HAS BEEN DYMYSTIFIED. How else will you ridicule and put down the ‘man with the foreskin’ if he no longer has a foreskin? Do you see the social and political implications here? How will you teach your children to pronounce a hateful word that no longer has meaning? And what happens to the ego brought about by undergoing the cut? What happens to the notion that my community is the better because we circumcise our men and women? This is what I’m saying, when you are culturally preprogrammed to put the ‘man with the foreskin’ in the dustbin, do you easily accept him when he cuts it off?

If circumcision liberates the Luo men from the yokes of hate and avails them an opportunity to be seen and accepted as men, does it also institute a powerful object of fear? You are all aware of the ‘white fear’ that denied the black man in America an opportunity to vote and attend desegregated schools. Just like the Luo, the black men in America have been called monkeys, black devils and consequently hang on trees until dead….simply because of the color of their skin. In Kenya, male high school students 'with the foreskin’ have been beaten to death. They are not allowed to shower in the same bathroom with the circumcised…instead they have to take a bath alongside the schools' fence….in full view of the fellow students in the neighboring girls high school…..after all they are all ‘women’.

Well, as we have seen so far, both the Luo in Kenya and in the USA have and will successfully win the presidential elections respectively.

64 comments:

ThinkCarefully
said...

No, this push for circumcision is a scam. Those who think it can protect them are being had. It's colonialism at it's worst. If societies are to change their ways to reduce HIV, then do it right by wearing condoms and limiting sexual networks.

Medical scientists argues that foreskin is a natural gliding stimulator of the vaginal walls during intercourse, increasing a woman's overall clitoral stimulation and helping her achieve orgasm more quickly and more often. Without the foreskin's gliding action, they suggest, it can be more difficult for a woman to achieve orgasm during intercourse. Another report says that there is a preference by women for the circumcised man, mentioning that circumcised men enter the woman more easily and cause fewer traumas.

@ 11.33. Yes I’m cut. I was cut at Kikuyu Mission Hospital on the July of 1984 by Dr. Julius R. Mwaura. While he was not a trained surgeon per se, he did a wonderful job.

@12.39. The ABC are a must. I actually do favor Abstinence within the unmarried. For the married, strict single partners is best. This is not the seventies where the worst one could acquire from the streets was ‘seven days’.

While this post should be about stopping the spread of HIV, it is not. The focus here is what next; after the sky-high egos propagated by culturally circumcised communities have been deflated.

utter rubbish. so now because Luo's are getting circumcised for health reasons, that takes away its cultural significance from Kenyans who have practiced the rite for ages?

We do not have take every issue and contort it so as to draw as much contention from it as possible...that is the essence of "uhii". It is a very laudable thing that Luos are getting circumcised after Raila told them to do so but only Kumekucha fools would see that as an opportunity to stoke a tribal war.

I feel sorry for anyone who thinks that a simple physical cut will automatically erase a portfolio of negative perceptions that have been grown and nurtured over generations of interactions. Knowing human beings, they will simply just reach into the bag of prejudices and pull out another item of derision and exclusion and systematically apply it.

What saddens me the most and which I hadn’t anticipated is the magnitude of the inferiority complex that would push an individual to subject themselves to physiologically unnecessary procedures that are ostensibly at odds with their cultural values and norms for the sake of seeking ‘acceptance.’ To my mind, circumcision i.e. lack thereof among the Jaluos is a place holder or container for a bunch of features that have over generations of multi-ethnic interactions been used to negatively and pejoratively characterize the Jaluo. I do not see this changing overnight by force of the so-called cut. Life is more complex than that.

Fortunately Barrack Obama, that great son of the United States, has not felt compelled to change his skin color, marry a white woman etc to seek acceptance. Yet he is right up there today, by force of his character, industry, leadership and organizational skills. His good works have persuaded. More power to him!

By writing this post, Kalamari has once again displayed his extraordinarily simple mind and a complete lack of understanding of human behavior and motivations. He has also displayed a level of desperation among a community, which I think is entirely misleading. Better to stick to the tenuous HIV-circumcision connection—that scores better and is less insulting all around.

It is unlikely that generations of negative perceptions will be obliterated by the flick of a surgeon’s knife.

them Luos also have to stop using the same cooking pan as a bathing tool.....you have a long way to go Kalamari as far as hygiene is concerned before you can become acceptable in the circle of men.

just a correction, Luo's are embrassing the CUT because Raila said so. The relationship between circumcision and low HIV incidences was researched and recorded ages ago. so stop being a moron kalamari and say the truth....just like sheep, raila will lead luos to whichever ditch he likes. its just hilarious and this will form an example of mind control in psychology lectures soon. just watch...

The foreskin includes over half the sensual pleasure-receptive nerve endings, provides protection for the glans and mucosa from the drying and abrasive effects of air and clothing, and gives an exquisite frictionless rolling/gliding mode of intimate interaction for a man and his partner.

Foreskin feels REALLY good.

I applaud the Luo elders for standing up against this painful - but more importantly, harmful - practice.

In the US, most of the men who have died of AIDS were circumcised at birth. I pity any fool persuaded by the Western charlatans. Circumcision does not prevent AIDS.

Hehehe! This is a really touchy subject still? C'mon people, surely whether one has a foreskin or not is not the issue. It is the cultural stages of initiation into manhood that is important. This cut was seen as the so called symbol of manhood. That one was cut meant you had now joined the league of men. The Luo have their own way as do many other tribes in Africa and the world over. It is the behavior and mannerisms of a boy vs a man that is important. The cut alone will not do it for anyone including others who have been clinically circumcised. Go through the whole thing and only then will one get the respect and honor that is due to all men irrespective of tribe. The sticking point is this... while the symbolism of the cut is embraced by those that subscribe to that cultural doctrine, those that do not have not shown similar pride in their version. This has in turn led to the unfair belief that they are not men. How many well educated Luo men do you know that have a "minus six"? So Kalamari you missed the point. Now back to my dinner featuring Deep Fried Calamari with a hint of parsley and a couple squirts of ndimu.

I like the one about 'being led like sheep'.My God,its unbelievable how a community that see's itself as the most learned and full of proffesionals can dance to any tune that demi god of theirs deems fit to play.What will follow next?I hope he will then ask all of this miserable lot to jump into lake Victoria coz surely to that we can say good riddance to morons without a mind or is it a life of their own.

My goodness! how many more times does the narrative about the cut has to be retold!

The cut has everything to do with much ado about nothing. Circumcising the social, political and communal mentality is what's more important than the removal of an over grown sheath on adults males from any particular community.

LOL! Does it really matter whether one is cut at a Kikuyu mission hospital, or besides a river in Samburu land, or at a rural village in Karachuonyo?

I thought a cut is a cut, whether it's done with a knife or with scissors? And does it really matter whether one is cut or not? After all, the long term evidence of a cut is always wrapped up behind a zipper in public.

FYI, it's an American born candidate named Barrack Obama who is running for the highest office in the USA, and not an individual from some tribal borough in Kenyan.

Therefore, people like Pweza and company should not waste time investing or banking their 'misplaced hopes', one-time glory and communal salvation on an Obama election for all the wrong reasons in the universe.

His election will not add any bushel of ugali or boat of ngenge to the households located around the shoreline of Lake Nyanza.

You have misrepresented the reality by saying that "in allowing the individual man to determine the personality of his ‘member’, the Luo community has been at the forefront of liberty." That is a lie and you know it. When Orengo and Prof Nyong'o revealed that they had been circumcised long ago they added that they could not reveal earlier because their political careers would have been terminated. So that liberty you are talking of only exists in your fantasy.

Also, the current stampede to circumcision is not because the recipients of the cut truly believe in its health benefits. You have also said clearly that it is not for cultural reasons. Therefore, the Luo circumcision going on is purely political; and it is not voluntary either. It is because Raila has ordained it even over the objections of the elders.

All the other communities in Kenya who practice the rite, do it for cultural reasons, not political or health. It is supposed to mark the end of boyhood and onset of manhood with the attendant community responsibilities.

As long as Luos undertake circumcision for political reasons the meaning they attach to it is unlikely to correspond to the meaning attached to circumcision by all the other Kenyan communities. So, will the Luo's "version of circumcision" get acceptance among other communities? Your guess is as good as mine.

The only person who seems to have figured out what benefit to derive from the Luo circumcision is only one: Raila Ondinga. And I take my hat off for him!

This article is ridiculous. Why make a big deal just because Luos have decided to be circumcised? And what is this: "In allowing the individual man to determine the personality of his ‘member’, the Luo community has been at the forefront of liberty. Extremely shallow thinking if you ask me!

Circumcision is not the reason for the discrimination you have described: it is just an excuse. All bantu tribes (including luhyas) have a low opinion of luos. They acknowledge luos are good in book learning but they still refer to them as "fools". Rao was only accepted in the last election because of the general hatred of kiuks. The attitude of the bantu tribes did not change one bit. Even if obama wins the US election, it does not mean that whites have acccepted blacks as their euquals.

Don't play around with the power of an idea whose time has come. By clinging on to their foreskins for centuries, Luos have been resisting integration into mainstream Kenyan culture. It has taken the cruel reality of HIV-AIDS and Raila's dictatorship for them to see the cultural light. Other communities should open their arms and welcome them into Kenya, culturally.

Luo's will be hated by Kikuyus especially whether knifed or not. I lived in eastlands back in the 80's and remember grown men being hijacked and cut by their workmates. touts and other handy men did it mostly by tying them on a mkokoteni and getting money from bystanders on their way to hospital.... ha ha

Talking of ushering one to manhood what bout jews and arabs who get cut while kids for example?

a no brainer cannot be rebooted with a cut. And lastly has any of you been to elgon area in the cutting season... well i'm still traumatised by th number of young girls hundreds in fugure I saw getting chopped that day. i've seen more cut cunt and foreskin in a day than most of you and wonder where all this manhood and womanhood we've been calling african culture has led todate.

EDUCATING your KIDS, KILLING THIEVES, FIRING all LAZY OLD CORRUPT MP's/CIVIL SERVANTS is what happy 2b circumcised men should Prove to their WOMEN.

Kenyan's really amuse me and disgust me at the same time. We like dwelling on very parochial, petty things and issues instead of dealing with real and more important issues such as proper ethics, accountability, character, vision and leadership etc. We should stop stealing and other such other primitive behaviors and admiring and adoring individuals who engage in such behavior.

Whether one is circumcised or not should not be an issue. It should only be an issue within respective communities that practice or do not practice it. Beyond that, A BIG NON-ISSUE.

No wonder other racial groups look down upon us (this includes even us so called circumcised bantu's) Grow up my fellow Kenyans. Let us stop this STONE AGE MENTALITY. Let us think and behave like people who actually live in the 21st century.

Now that the Jaluo are now men or whatever the Bumpkin wishes them to be, I can only encourage him (the Bumpkin) to demonstrate comparable zeal in getting the constitution reviewed, constituency boundaries redrawn and the ECK reformed in whatever order. Stuff that men do?

NB: Oh, before I forget--will the Bumpkin train his spotlight on the Teso and Turkana? Hmmmm...but oh, maybe the Teso and Turkana are not burdened but THAT inferiority complex.

Off the post, it is just that i have decided to let the men and the boys...Share the platform...but i am wondering who is the best judge to separate the boys from men (Now that Boys II men) are no longer singing end of the road....

Can someone really tell me what it is that Gabriel Mugabe wants. One minute he is happy that the west will ease sanctions in Zimbabwe because they have devastated the economy and the next minute "Mugabe added that Zimbabwe can return to its former economic status, saying "if only the West can leave us alone, you will certainly see us come up."

"It will take us time because we have lost some time because of sanctions," he said.

While critics have complained about Zimbabwe's human rights record, Mugabe said the African Union and southern African leaders have not. When asked whether he would allow Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to come in, he replied: "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Let them keep out."

Did someone ever told him that you cant have your cake and eat it?

Can someone enlighten me too..Is that the same meeting that the "duly prezzy" of Kenya addressed/undressed?

Taabu for the last time i dare you bring more news on Kibs as they come in.

This truly confirm Africans especially Kenyans are still under white man yoke. How can so-called scientist convince you that cutting your foreskin prevent you from catching AIDS? These are the same scientists that used to say, "as long you are not gay and your white circumcised or not, the chances of catching the AIDS virus is remote". but they later retracted those 'findings' after they realised there are many non-gay people who have died of AIDS and there were also white heterosexual people dying of AIDS. What the Prime Minister Odinga should have told his fellow kinsmen is, there is no known cure or vaccine for the disease but the disease can be prevented by change of lifestyle. Stick to one partner and if you really really really have to, use condom. I fear this cut thing is going to send the wrong message, 'I am cut so I can't catch the disease' and it will only increase the rate of HIV infection.

All you calling circumcision a good thing, are you aware in Europe during second world war many Jews sought for underground foreskin restoration as a method to escape Nazi persecution, and here we're persecuting our lakeside brothers for having intact foreskin. This world never fails to amuse me!

Kwale, maybe its not the foreskin per se that's the problem. Maybe the foreskin is just a convenient identifier for a bunch of other things that people may like or not. It may not lie at the surface--who knows? But I figure we'll know soon enough. I'm extraordinarily patient.

And what is Taabu's/Phil's position on this important national subject. Are you guys that terrified of the whole idea? do you now want to hide behind that unconvincing excuse that you are not gay and so are not willing to talk about it? It is all allowed, just let me know what you think.

Ivy,Breaking news is that Bob G Mugabe is not sure what he wants and he is to address the Un assembly after the DE undressed. While Mugabe can afford to make headlines for obvious reasons, only those desperate to to hear from Emilio will remind us of his anonylous presence in NY. Even Ahmadinijan has substance and charism in his rants.

Meanwhile Laura B has not been seen around for fear of some OGRES appearing in Halloween colour dresses.

@Kwale,Spot on and we rarely agree but I won't atke from you, kudos THE LAMB/LION.

Kalamari--be assured my elevator does reach the TOP floor. ALWAYS. If you only but knew! By scanning your posts on KK its quite obvious whose elevator is stuck in the basement. I wont waste time on that.

My point is simple: rushing to cut is stupid--on all fronts. It is not a panacea to HIV-AIDS, neither will it earn the Jaluo the respect of those that despise and deride them. Does the opposite, if anything. May or may not matter to the Jaluo--the feel good factor (eg responding to molasses command)may perhaps be all that counts.But am basically done with this conversation.

I could not agree more with your post Kumekucha. I worked on this trial several years ago doing an ethnography of people's attitudes towards male circumcision. Hundreds of interviews later (literally), the consensus was just as you said, circumcision is not an issue that falls for Luos within a tradition and culture discourse paradigm. It was neither here nor there as far as "traditions" go. And yes, the so-called elders have turned it into one as they suddenly found an opportunity for themselves to have power over people's right to choose. I posted about this today on Sukuma Kenya: http://sukumakenya.blogspot.com/2008/09/foreskin-wars.html

It is a plot to get Mccain in.POLITICS, and they say it is a science where ANYthing is PoSSiBlE.There is no let down. All pointed at Democrats and thier candidates.watch the next few days and the Republicans campaign will be- "who can we trust with the economy? Obama has not been tried"

Did anyone watch those Utube videos;Mrs Njenga, the ex-wife of Mungiki leader giving interview, yeye ni alikuwa mama mkali... only to end up dead days after predicting mayhem if Maina was to be killed.

video part 4 was the most disturbing of all. Why would an adult sane person dish out bottle of solvent to kids to sniff, some barely todlers. can't something be done about these homeless kids?

I like RAO, but I will differ with him on this one. The 'cut' is nothing but male genital mutilation. In some cultures it has had significance and like in bible times people have gone and attached more meaning to rituals and symbolisms than the idea.....

....that led one to say in the bible,that what people needed more was a circumsion of the heart.

But there will always be idle and simple minds clutching at anything to one up the nxt guy.......Cut will not get you a woman, cut will not pass exams for you , cut wil not make you money, and chances are you will marry someone who has been bonked by quite a few uncut jamaas, or worse for you, your lady may actually cheat on you with,or leave you for an uncut guy, so the hate is only giving you pain you don't need .....60% of thr problems we have we bring on ourselves....

like I have said before a tiger does not proclaim its tigritude.....real men are not identfied by the cut but by their archivements......

Whatever RAO is doing is just politicking just trying to avoid the potential embarassment like the one that befell Mbeki for being on the unpopular side of an issue...or just plain bluff calling......like some guy siad after the luos cut..mta do?

Your Gikuyu hatred seems to be frothing again! Gikuyus are not the only ones who circumcise as a rite of passage into adulthood. Sort your tribalistic jingoism before spewing it all over like a man with diarrhoea

You are right fellow Kenyan to see what most of us will take ages to see. this "cut" campaign has a political dimension that is heavier that the health one. Even the Luo themselves blind to the political angle but will see it later and be forever thankful. The Luo male has been demonized for this single reason. Thankfully this time round they have a smart regional chief who sees a century ahead. The Lou have had all other qualifications to wield political power; they've got intellect, unity, numbers & energy. The "cut" factor was the only obstacle stand between them and the throne denying them national-wide acceptance. Now that it is out of the way you wait and see. Talk about a Political genius of all times!